Spain: Pay-TV recovery under way

The Spanish pay-TV market seems to be recovering with Q4 2013 seeing a slight growth in subscribers.

The Spanish pay-TV market ended the year with 3.774 million pay-TV subs, up from 3.740 million in Q3 but down from 4.077 million a year earlier, according to figures from the regulator CMNC.

Telefonica’s Movistar TV service is the main driving force behind the rise with 670,525 subscribers from 611,251 the previous quarter. IPTV service Orange TV also gained almost 14,000 clients to 76,028.

Digital DTH platform Canal Plus and cable company ONO, however, both experienced a loss in subscribers, with 6,000 and 17,000 fewer to 1.65 million and 789,895, respectively. The pay-DTT channel Gol TV, owned by Mediapro, gained 2,200 clients to 237,178 subscribers.

The recovery was also reflected in pay-TV revenues, which amounted to €422.31 million in Q4, up from €401.35 million three months earlier but lower than the €444.77 million posted a year earlier.

As for the different distribution platforms, IP led the growth and reached 746,553 homes with pay TV services. Both DTH and cable continued to gradually lose subscribers, ending 2013 with 1,620,632 and 1,142,015 respectively, while DTT grew slightly to 237,178.